


The Kapellmeister's Sister

by zealousrebelmaker



Category: Evillious Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe - Classical Music, Alternate Universe - Historical, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Demon Deals, Developing Relationship, Diary/Journal, F/M, Internal Conflict, POV First Person, Period-Typical Sexism, Time Shenanigans, classical period Lunacy of Duke Venomania, just..., with Irina's role being horribly different.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-29
Packaged: 2018-04-24 23:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4938643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zealousrebelmaker/pseuds/zealousrebelmaker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Well, I believe that hell is on earth, sir."</p><p>The journal is all that he has left of what he knows of her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> 'The Kapellmeister's Sister' will take on more of a different type of approach: a diary-style fanfiction. Just like all diary-style fanfiction, the writer of the diary somehow remembers everything that's been said and done, which is a real ass feat.
> 
> Way to go, diary writers. I can barely even keep one myself.

_June 12, 1771  
Aceid, Elphegort_

 

It's been a while since I kept one of these. The last time I kept a journal was many years back, when I was a young boy.

I've decided to write at night when everyone else is asleep, but I'm not sure whether I can keep this as well as my previous ones. It's something that I can indulge to myself when the night is silent and when I can remember things better, especially when both Lukana and Mikulia aren't keeping me up at night. I could only bring the two of them during the journey because I couldn't risk bringing Gumina outside - it would raise suspicion, and there's the matter about her father...

It gives me a headache.

The Emperor of Beelzenia had granted his favourite daughter, Princess Maylis, a chateau here in Elphegort. It's a peaceful place, yet it can get unforgivably chilly at night. 

There are sayings that Princess Maylis is doing a favour for the late Kapellmeister and his late wife in taking care of their only relative, the Kapellmeister's younger sister. By now, the young girl should be 16 at most - already ready for marriage. Public sentiment about the younger sister is sour though, because even though she has the talent of her older brother, she refuses to perform or even behave.

A spoiled child, perhaps?

I've never met her or seen her anywhere in the house, but to my credit, I didn't even mention her to the princess.

There was, however, a room that the princess forbade me from entering. It housed, according to her, a very broken harpsichord that is yet to be repaired. Princess Maylis looked peeved as she said that, shaking her head disapprovingly as she told me: "I insisted to call someone to get rid of the thing, but she insists on fixing it anyways..."

I would assume 'she' is the younger sister.


	2. Largo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slow happenings. Cold days.
> 
> 'In dedication to the cold Elphegort.'  
> -Irina Clockworker, 1768, Nocturne I

 

_June 13, 1771_  
_Aceid, Elphegort_

 

I was wrong about the princess's chateau. Lukana mildly (in which I expect she was hiding more of her resentment towards the weather) complained about the chill in the morning, which seemed much worse than the chills in the night.

If I were to be entirely honest, which I am, I was woken up not by the morning chills, but by the sounds of someone _hammering wood_. Someone, somewhere, was using all of their strength to hammer pieces of wood either together, or apart, and it woke me up at- when I last checked- five in the morning. The hammering stopped after about half an hour, and then something much worse came about- the sounds of someone _sawing wood._ Princess Maylis tried to sleep, according to what she said in the morning, Lukana tried too, but Mikulia said she didn't hear a thing and that the weather was lovely.

"It's normal," Princess Maylis said with a hint of irritation. "Lady Clockworker does that a lot."

_Lady Clockworker does that a lot._

"Lady Clockworker?" Lukana asked. I assumed that she hadn't heard of the infamous girl.

"My young ward," Princess Maylis clarified, sniffling a bit. Her homeland was much warmer, she said some days ago in a letter to me, and despite her long stay in the chateau here, she still could never get used to the weather in Elphegort. "Now I wonder when she's ever coming out for breakfast."

Around this time, we heard more sounds- very construction-like in nature.

I will be honest- it's like part of the chateau is being renovated, with one mysterious 16-year-old young lady holing herself up in the room with no intention to see anyone. 

You must be wondering- a man like me goes around accompanied with two women to a princess's chateau, doesn't that sound very scandalous? It's hardly believable in itself. Lukana and Mikulia, my two favourites, are considered my guides in helping me navigate about because of my supposed severe memory loss. I expected to be able to charm Princess Maylis, but the issue with the other young lady is, nonetheless, baffling.

I'm admittedly very curious.

"Does she ever go out, if I may ask?" I asked, and Princess Maylis gave a shrug.

"Only when she wants to. Sometimes, the servants leave her food outside the door."

"Is that her?" Lukana's inquiring tone came, and we all looked at a recent portrait that had the words: _'Irina Clockworker, 1770'_.

The portrait, as most portraits are, might not have been accurately drawn, I thought to myself. My first thoughts of her was that she was a very small young lady. Her face was sharp and her expression was surprisingly rigid, as if she didn't want to sit for it in the first place. Her hair was powdered white according to fashion, done in a high hairstyle as she reclined against the chair, her arms rested on the armrests. Her gown was light pink, with the ends of her sleeves in flounces. A small lace ruff was around her neck, and her left hand held sheets of what presumably could be music. Flowers were rested on her lap.

But what struck me was her eyes. Her stern eyes were unsmiling, as if she was a prideful girl.

Princess Maylis looked at the portrait as well. "I commissioned someone to paint her, but she's so disagreeable when it comes to portraits. She insisted that everything should be natural, so this was as natural as the painter could get."

"...She looks mean," Mikulia frankly said.

"She's meaner than she looks," the princess sighed.

I also remember a red cat passing by our entourage, in which Mikulia picked it up and fawned over it. We were told that it was Lady Clockworker's cat, which currently had no name as of yet. "I doubt calling it 'kitty' and 'darling' should make those terms its name," Princess Maylis attempted to joke, but when I laughed, I could remember that she smiled shyly.

 

 

I will write it down, because no one will believe me even if I do, so I have nothing to risk.

I have made a deal with the devil.

I won't go into details- but it had changed my entire life completely. It had made me see the sun again, and I had gotten what I wanted most and more: my dearest Gumina, and scores of others.

It is kind to me, the demon. It is kind to me and it gives me advice and strength. The princess is easy to capture, just like how I did with Lukana and Mikulia and the rest. I made sure not to be too suspicious though- they are still with their families and friends, but they come to me whenever I need them. Most nights, no one even knows that the girls have all up and left from their beds to come to me. Every night known to me is a night of madness, with or without my girls.

Somehow, it's good that in religion, there is a god and there is a devil, because when God forsakes you, the devil is always there to aid you either way. 

Nothing much happened today, and normally I would've used my charms on Princess Maylis quickly during my stay, but the issue about Lady Irina Clockworker is making more curious by the minute. She hasn't come out for breakfast, lunch or dinner today, and it's supposedly normal for her to eat meals left outside the doors of her rooms. It is quiet now, quiet and cold.

Quiet and cold, and I wonder if Lady Clockworker is awake.

Ever since I lost and regained some memories, recent events seemed to be a blur to me. The name Clockworker sounds very familiar, as if it was a household name, but I can't put my finger on how significant it is. It's common knowledge, according to the aristocracy, that the Kapellmeister Kiril Clockworker was a modest man with a loving wife and a healthy, happy and equally gifted younger sister, but alas, they passed away, leaving Lady Clockworker alone.

In a way, we are similar- we lost our families, but I ended the lives of mine by my own hands.

She was ten when they died, they said.

So in a way, it's reasonable for her to lock herself up in her rooms, not wanting to come out. It's as simple as that. 

I hear the cat meowing from outside the door. I'll see what it wants.

 

 

I saw her.

I saw Lady Clockworker, thanks to the cat.

She was like a ghost! The left door of her rooms open with a maddening creak and the halls were dark and the cat meows, walking in as her hands picked it up.

She didn't close the door immediately because she realized that someone was watching her. I was out of my rooms, the doors half open and I stood there, waiting for her to fully come out. The cat meowed quietly and she stepped out of her rooms, barefoot, and I stared.

It was like walking into her in an inappropriate time. Her long white nightgown covered her body conservatively, and her long pink hair was tied in a low ponytail. She gave me a good stare for a moment, and...

She walked right back into her room and closed the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to many sources in nobility, portraits are designed to flatter the sitter, so if you want your zits to not be there, they won't be there.
> 
> Portraits to promote a lady in the marriage market are very common too, and flowers represent fertility.


	3. Allegro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venturing ahead.
> 
> 'I made a very good friend from across the continent.'  
> -Lady Clockworker, 1768, Aria in A

 

_June 15, 1771_   
_Aceid, Elphegort_

  
  


A long night with Lukana  _didn't_  do wonders for what occurred this morning.

I couldn't write yesterday because nothing much happened (actually, nothing happened at all), but today was rife with activity. The cat was out, and so was its master, Lady Clockworker, right at the breakfast table this morning with Princess Maylis and the three of us.

The phrase: " _You'll soon be married off_ ," made Lady Clockworker round up against her without a second thought.

"Infanta!*" she cried out like some spoiled child. 

"No buts," Princess Maylis firmly asserted. "I've drafted a list of suitors for you."

"But I have no time to get married!" Lady Clockworker exclaimed, keeping her red cat on her lap as a means of dampening most of her anger. "I'm not done with my compositions, and I don't like useless men!"

"Do you like women then?" Mikulia thoughtlessly suggested.

Lady Clockworker wasn't amused.

"You'd be perfect for that lady over there," Lady Clockworker retorted, gesturing towards Lukana. "Infanta, I don't want to get married. Is that the reason why you invited this man over, just so that I could take a good look at him and have you arrange a marriage?"

She was talking about me next. I remembered clearing my throat and looking away.

"Irina," Princess Maylis chided, putting down her knife, "show respect. This is Duke Sateriasis Venomania- I invited him here to address the issue of the disappearing girls. He's doing his very best to investigate further regarding the matter, so you should show him your respect."

Lady Clockworker ate her eggs and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Infanta."

"Good."

"...When he's six feet underground. A lot of people will be obligated to show him respect either way."

" _Irina!_ "

I'll be honest: Lady Clockworker was exceptionally feisty. If I were to add her to my collection of women, she would be rather difficult to manage if she were to mingle around with the others, but it would be fun to see how she's like with me, enchanted in the spells of the demon.

She's a small girl, but considered late for marriage in a noble setting. A beautiful girl like her ought to be grounded- it is a thing that I agree with Princess Maylis with. I admit that someone with her character would be a very interesting person to try with, but I feel that she'd tear a house down if no one watches or controls her.

"...The harpsichord's fixed, by the way," Lady Clockworker added, causing me to realize that the hellish hammering during the past few days was in fact, entirely her doing. Lukana suddenly looked very interested, smiling over at Lady Clockworker with newfound fervor.

"You fixed a harpsichord? I heard one of those before, but..." 

I remember her clutching her head - she probably can't remember much from her past. Lady Clockworker smiled back at her and nodded eagerly.

"The sound it makes is wonderful, isn't it? There's something new coming up though, but because the princess won't let me out of the chateau, I don't have the opportunity to scout it out."

Princess Maylis rolled her eyes. "There's no way that I'll let you out of this house unless you're going to get married, Irina."

"What's a harpsichord?" Mikulia asked.

Mikulia's question made Lady Clockworker forget breakfast altogether, and she put her utensils down to take Mikulia's hands, leading her out of the dining hall.

At this point of writing about breakfast, I would say that every air of mystery surrounding the late musician's younger sister completely disappeared from my perspectives. There is nothing mysterious about her, and everything that I thought of the days before were completely debunked. Lady Clockworker was just like the rest - there's always that initial spark of interest upon meeting new women, and this feeling was the same.

I remember her excitedly showing Mikulia the harpsichord and letting her run her fingers over the keys, and we all stared at two children expressing their astonishment over a very large toy. Princess Maylis sighed in what I might think would be disapproval - her time in educating Lady Clockworker in every bit of etiquette must've been sadly wasted, I initially thought, until the brown-haired princess smiled.

"It sounds beautiful, that harpsichord," she said.

"Who plays on it for the most part?" I asked.

"Oh," Princess Maylis answered, laughing, "I do, sometimes. But Irina - Lady Clockworker took over it a few years back. All those papers over there," in which she pointed at a few stacks of papers on a desk, "are her compositions. I've been meaning to send them over to Beelzenia if she'd let me, but she told me that she needed to send it to a few friends outside the continent."

"What is this new thing that Lady Clockworker was itching to see?" Lukana asked. Princess Maylis tried to rack her brains for the name.

"A piano, or whatever it's called. Just arrived from a few sources. It's very new here, apparently. Composers are switching their choice of instruments in favour of it."

"Any letters for me?" Lady Clockworker suddenly asked, letting Mikulia handle the harpsichord. Princess Maylis grabbed a stack of letters and handed them over to the younger girl, and the younger girl took them appreciatively, opening the first one.

 

 

In which I would like to pause my recounts here and write: everything exciting happened in breakfast.

Lady Clockworker skimmed through a letter - it was from a foreign continent, a foreign country, and it was written very horribly in a foreign language. As soon as she read the letter, I was at shock because see, I wish I had never heard the contents in the first place afterwards! 

_'Dear Iri,_

_We are heading for the next city in a month! It is so shit-faced, our situation!_   
_I feel like shit, I write like shit, I long to coat this letter in shit!_   
_There is so much music, Iri! So much music, yet so much difficulty,_   
_I cannot imagine how it will be like for you.'_

"Your friend from the other continent mailed you again?" Princess Maylis asked, but Lady Clockworker folded the letter and looked at her guardian.

"I must go and perform, I must leave this house."

The demon had granted me abilities to understand each and every tongue known to man, but this takes the cake! A brazen young man, I assume, writes about scatalogical mentions and it spurs her on to go! 

And to cut the long bickerings of the afternoon, at night, Princess Maylis allowed Lady Clockworker to be present at the Elphegortean Palace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Infanta is how princesses are referred to in Spain. Given that Beelzenia can be a counterpart for Spain or Rome, I thought that this would be equally fitting.
> 
> On another note, Irina's friend from the other continent is rather incredibly famous, but very short-lived...


End file.
